Put business forms to work for you

Patty Kane

Having the right tools is key to the success of any project. Running a
business efficiently and effectively requires equipment that is available,
organized, maintained and appropriate for the job at hand.

When organizing your company's "tool box," don't overlook the importance of
the "paper tools" of the trade-business forms. You can simplify your
business and keep it in order if efficient systems are in place and
paperwork is up-to-date. Business forms, standardized and customized, go a
long way toward establishing and maintaining those systems. Invoices, work
orders, proposals, specification forms, estimate and quotation forms,
change orders, letters of transmittal, checks, reports and pricing sheets
are just some of the forms that managers routinely use to keep work flowing
and organized.

Using inappropriate or inadequate business forms is wasteful and
inefficient. Do you often find yourself duplicating paperwork? Are you
constantly modifying your forms by crossing out or adding to what's been
printed? Do you have to call your customers for key information that you or
your employees forgot to ask? Customized business forms will help solve
these and other problems.

First impressions
Customized business forms can also send subtle yet powerful messages to
your customers and clients. The right forms communicate professionalism,
expertise, efficiency and accomplishment.

Remember the adage: "You only have one chance to make a first
impression-and first impressions are usually lasting."

Door hangers, leave-behind pieces and similar literature are not the place
to skimp. Take the time to create professional, attractive pieces that make
potential customers want to call you (see sample forms, page Contractor
12). Be sure to make it easy for them to do so by printing all contact
information clearly.

A printed three-part (triplicate) proposal, estimate or quotation form will
help send the message that you are organized and professional. Having a
multi-part form will save you from scrambling for photocopies and will add
a touch of professionalism. You also will also be assured that you and your
customer have the same information so that misunderstandings can be
avoided.

Adding company information-name, address, phone number, fax number, email
and internet address, company logo and company slogan-will help to position
your company as established, expert and professional and will leave a
lasting and positive impression. Your printed forms should be easy for
customers to understand. Make sure that the forms include all important
information. There should be room to list important details. When you
include your company's complete contact information, a customer is more
likely to call or email you, or visit your web site. Your printed logo also
will serve to reinforce your "brand" in the customer's memory.

In addition, you can add sections on the form to capture relevant
information about your customers. This will provide you with vital
information for later initiatives such as prospecting for new customers or
following up with existing customers for a clean-up, pruning or other
service.

Clients prefer forms that are easy to understand. Customers can become
frustrated and unhappy when presented with an invoice, job estimate or
other business form that is sloppy and hard to read.

Customized details count
If you use "one-size-fits-all" forms for your business, you are missing a
major marketing and efficiency tool. Customized forms are usually slightly
more expensive than standardized forms and take time to design, but are
well worth the investment.

When ordering custom business forms, don't skimp on the time you spend
designing them. Make sure that every piece of important information is
recorded on the form. Design your forms to reflect the workflow of your
business, and be sure to ask colleagues and co-workers for their input. The
advice of field crews is invaluable. Often, they will have a different
perspective on what is important on a form. A few changes can turn a
standard form into a great business tool-one that will save time and money,
and increase efficiency.

When designing a custom form, remember that you can include preprinted
information such as specific duties and areas, and frequency of tasks
performed. For example, a lawn-maintenance invoice can include preprinted
areas for recording mowing, edging, weed control, pruning, fertilizing and
spring or fall clean-up. These detailed forms will make the field worker's
job faster and easier to complete. Office personnel also will benefit from
standardized information. They will not have to decipher handwriting and
guess at tasks completed or products used-and perhaps underestimate the job.

Here are some features that make business forms more useful:

* Consecutive numbers on each business form allow for quick, easy reference
and make office operations easier to handle.

* Color-coding highlights key areas and increases the speed at which the
form is filled out while improving overall readability.

* Perforations create a "tear-out" portion of the form, which you can use
to mark merchandise and eliminate mistakes.

Customized business forms can help keep your record-keeping secure. When
choosing business forms, be aware that checks and other forms with a "cash
value" that are cut on plain paper can make easy work for forgers. Security
features should be standard on checks, gift certificates and redeemable
coupons. By adding your company logo, unique colors, coding or typeface to
these sensitive business forms, you can help avoid costly incidents.

When you take the time to plan and design your business forms properly, you
can effectively streamline your operations, increase your productivity and
improve your image with customers. All for a minor additional investment in
time and effort.

Patty Kane is a communications consultant for NEBS, Inc. (Groton, Mass.).
NEBS manufactures and supplies custom and standard forms, checks, labels,
related products and software to small businesses in the United States,
Canada, United Kingdom and France. For a free NEBS catalog, call (888)
228-6327 or access the NEBS online catalog at www.nebs.com.